Ford is first automaker to use UNIFI's REPREVE® fiber in new Focus Electric seat fabric

IFAI member UNIFI has created REPREVE, a polyester fiber made from a hybrid blend of recycled materials including used plastic water bottles and post-industrial waste. Through the use of REPREVE, each all-new Ford Focus Electric keeps 22 plastic bottles out of landfills.

Sitting on empty plastic bottles while driving or riding in a car would be less than ideal. That’s not the case when it comes to the all-new Ford Focus Electric, as it features seat fabric made of recycled material that includes the equivalent of more than 20 plastic bottles per car.

The fiber – called REPREVE® – is made from a hybrid blend of recycled materials and manufactured by Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), a global leader in sustainable textile solutions.

Unifi officials say 22 plastic, 16-ounce water bottles are used in the seat fabric of a single Focus Electric. The figure is based on the amount of REPREVE branded fiber used in the production of fabric in each vehicle.

Ford is the first automaker to use REPREVE branded fiber in its seat fabric. More...